Understanding the link between adolescent depression and precarious employment in adulthood: evidence from a sibling fixed effects analysis

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Main Authors: Jinho Kim, Hayun Jang, Keun Young Kwon, Hansol Park
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2025
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author Jinho Kim
Hayun Jang
Keun Young Kwon
Hansol Park
author_facet Jinho Kim
Hayun Jang
Keun Young Kwon
Hansol Park
Jinho Kim
Hayun Jang
Keun Young Kwon
Hansol Park
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Understanding the link between adolescent depression and precarious employment in adulthood: evidence from a sibling fixed effects analysis Jinho Kim Hayun Jang Keun Young Kwon Hansol Park Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Background Adolescent depressive symptoms may mark the beginning of long‐term trajectories of socioeconomic disadvantage, yet their role in shaping labor market outcomes remains understudied. This study investigates the longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and precarious employment in adulthood and explores the mediating roles of persistent depressive symptoms and educational attainment. Methods Using a sample of 3,703 individuals from full sibling pairs in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we employed sibling fixed effects models to control for unobserved family‐level confounding. Precarious employment in adulthood was measured using a multidimensional index reflecting job instability, material insecurity, lack of benefits, and limited decision‐making autonomy. Results Adolescent depressive symptoms were positively associated with precarious employment in adulthood ( b  = 0.0165, p  < .01), even after adjusting for family‐level confounders. No significant gender differences were observed. Mediation analyses revealed that subsequent depressive symptoms in young adulthood mediated approximately 23.0% of this association, while educational attainment accounted for an additional 18.9%, independent of later depressive symptoms. Conclusions These findings highlight adolescent depressive symptoms as a significant early risk factor for employment precarity in adulthood. The results underscore the importance of early mental health interventions and suggest that improving emotional well‐being and educational outcomes during adolescence may reduce long‐term socioeconomic disadvantage. 10.1111/jcpp.70047 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1111/jcpp.70047
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license_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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spellingShingle Understanding the link between adolescent depression and precarious employment in adulthood: evidence from a sibling fixed effects analysis
Jinho Kim
Hayun Jang
Keun Young Kwon
Hansol Park
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Understanding the link between adolescent depression and precarious employment in adulthood: evidence from a sibling fixed effects analysis Jinho Kim Hayun Jang Keun Young Kwon Hansol Park Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Background Adolescent depressive symptoms may mark the beginning of long‐term trajectories of socioeconomic disadvantage, yet their role in shaping labor market outcomes remains understudied. This study investigates the longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and precarious employment in adulthood and explores the mediating roles of persistent depressive symptoms and educational attainment. Methods Using a sample of 3,703 individuals from full sibling pairs in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we employed sibling fixed effects models to control for unobserved family‐level confounding. Precarious employment in adulthood was measured using a multidimensional index reflecting job instability, material insecurity, lack of benefits, and limited decision‐making autonomy. Results Adolescent depressive symptoms were positively associated with precarious employment in adulthood ( b  = 0.0165, p  < .01), even after adjusting for family‐level confounders. No significant gender differences were observed. Mediation analyses revealed that subsequent depressive symptoms in young adulthood mediated approximately 23.0% of this association, while educational attainment accounted for an additional 18.9%, independent of later depressive symptoms. Conclusions These findings highlight adolescent depressive symptoms as a significant early risk factor for employment precarity in adulthood. The results underscore the importance of early mental health interventions and suggest that improving emotional well‐being and educational outcomes during adolescence may reduce long‐term socioeconomic disadvantage. 10.1111/jcpp.70047 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Understanding the link between adolescent depression and precarious employment in adulthood: evidence from a sibling fixed effects analysis
topic Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
url https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.70047